K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment and the American music label Republic Records will unveil its new K-pop girl group production project “A2K” on JYP’s official YouTube channel starting from July 13, JYP Entertainment said Friday.
“A2K” is the first project between the two labels to create a female band under the K-pop idol training system.
Through a series of clips on YouTube, JYP Entertainment will be sharing the process of selecting candidates of diverse nationalities from auditions held in five major cities in the US.
These candidates will then enter a boot camp in Los Angeles to be evaluated on four essential talents a K-pop star needs: singing, dancing, entertaining and an upright character.
Only those that have passed the evaluation at the LA boot camp will earn a ticket to the headquarters of JYP Entertainment in Seoul.
After receiving K-pop idol training there, these candidates will again encounter three different competition rounds in which the final debut members will be chosen.
The finalists will be working both in Korea and in the US as a female band with the help of the two labels.
“’A2K’ is the biggest project for JYP and for myself. We want to unearth gems that are true artists and performers. We are providing the necessary system to nurture them into leaders in the music industry,” said Park Jinyoung, the producer of JYP Entertainment.
“Park Jinyoung, who is a K-pop icon, is continuously bringing evolution to the music industry and popular culture in general. We know that with JYP’s values and musical know-how, artists found in the US can become global superstars in the global music market," said Monte Lipman, CEO of Republic Records.
